Legislation designed to give an incentive to small businesses to hire more veterans is a step closer to passage, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said Tuesday.

Davis is sponsoring the “Hire More Heroes Act,” which would allow veterans who already have health coverage linked to their service to be hired by small businesses but not count toward the 50-employee threshold at which the Affordable Care Act requires companies to provide health insurance.

The House has already passed the bill with only one dissenting vote, and the Senate this week voted 96-3 to limit debate on the measure, allowing it to proceed.

Davis spoke with reporters during a visit to Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield and said that U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., has taken up the issue and it could be part of a package of legislation that will be presented to both houses of Congress.

“It's a common-sense fix,” Davis said. “This is a bipartisan solution that Roy Blunt has been working on since we introduced it … and I'm happy that he's made some progress over there.”

Davis was one of several Republican House members who appeared in the weekly Republican address this weekend — discussing lack of action by the Senate, controlled by Democrats, on House initiatives.

Davis highlighted the “heroes” bill, HR3474.

“Americans are still waiting for President (Barack) Obama and Senate Democrats to act,” he said during that message.

Davis said Tuesday he continues to want the new health-care law — also known as Obamacare — to be repealed and replaced “with a much better system.”

“I think we can divise a plan that's going to actually cover pre-existing conditions, ensure that there are no lifetime (coverage) caps, keep young men and women up to the age of 26 on their parents' plan,” Davis said. “Those things can be a part of a much better functioning, more more affordable health-care plan.”

Meanwhile, Davis said he is “very, very proud” of U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Wheaton, who has been named to the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Four Americans, including Christopher Stevens, the ambassardor to Libya, were killed in a September 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

“Peter is somebody who has been a friend to me and somebody who I know will be as respectful, and as dogged when need be, to actually get the answers that need to be given,” Davis said. “I'm not confident that since that time ... that we have made Americans serving overseas any safer in situations similar to Benghazi.”

Some Democrats have called the formation the the House committee political.

Page 2 of 2 - “That's what they're always going to say because they sometimes perceive their job in too much of a political manner and just decide they want to protect the president of their own party rather than get the answers that the … hard-working taxpayers of America deserve,” Davis said.

He also said that Russian moves regarding Ukraine are “a direct result of weakened foreigh policy in this country. I hope that we can continue to push back against (Russian President) Vladimir Putin.”

Davis said sanctions against Russia are “a step,” but he said the situation should be “our wakeup call to make sure that America is energy-independent.”

He said America has an oversupply of natural gas, allowing the country to export more and still have a surplus for domestic use. He said as countries in Europe have moved away from nuclear and coal power, “they've become beholden to Vladimir Putin's cheap natural gas supply. He's become somewhat of a natural gas sugar daddy.”

“If you want to basically stop his ability to grow his military machine,” Davis said of Putin, “then let's sell natural gas in place of him to those who are allies of ours instead of forcing them to base foreign policy on their ability to provide cheap power to their constituents and their citizens. So let's ask (President Obama) to take that a step further, and I think it could be a tremendous asset for us.”

Davis was at the school for a ceremony marking the acceptance of SHG senior Jon Bluhm by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Davis made the presentation in Bluhm's English class, taught by his father, Josh Bluhm. Also there was Jon's mother, Wendy, and brother, Ethan, a junior at SHG. Bluhm was among 11 students Davis nominated to military academies this year.

Jon Bluhm said he looked forward to West Point having a focus not just on academics or athletics, but “being a leader.”

Davis is running against Democrat Ann Callis of Edwardsville in the Nov. 4 election.